Edwardsville Public Library discussion

This discussion will be moderated by Alana T. and will begin March 11th.

It seems timely to reread this book in March since the book begins during Springbreak.

I thought the author did a good job capturing the boisterous, but easily bored psyche of many teens. The description of how easily the feed popped into the kid's minds was a bit scary - mostly because I don't think any of them realized it. I was very much reminded of many people today who are closely attached to their phones.

Does anyone think the concern about digital entanglement is a generational issue? I admit to being well over 40 and not needing or wanting constant social/business/entertainment updates. Does this book "read" differently for a younger vs older audience? Any thoughts?

One aspect of the relationship of the FEED to characters in the novel is its ability to suggest ideas and potential actions. This is a useful function and has parallels in technology today. At what point would you be concerned about overuse? Or would you be concerned at all? Does it make a difference how old the person using the technology is?

I too am in an older age bracket, so I'm not sure how, or if, the book resonates with a younger audience. I definitely saw parallels to what is going on with technology today and the FEED in the book. I can imagine a future in which our technology progresses and we end up with companies having that much power.

I really enjoyed the section in the book where the kids' FEED gets disconnected and they aren't sure what to do with themselves. I loved that they were still able to goof off and have a good time.